Spoutwood Farm CSA Harvest Guide: Week 11: August 23, 2007
To return to the 2007 Harvest Guide page, click here
Greetings, Spoutwood Farm friends! Welcome to the eleventh week of our CSA Harvest season. Hard to believe that our 22-week Harvest season is half over. Time flies, when you hands are in the dirt and your heart filled with growing healthy, natural, flavor-packed vegetables to fill share bags. But the up side is that we have half of the season yet to go, with lots more yummy produce to send to you! And with August drawing toward its close, back-to-school time approaches for many. The children of our shareholders are more lucky than many probably realize, growing up nourished by farm-fresh, naturally-grown veggies. Hopefully many of them will find their way into lunchboxes, over these next eleven weeks.
After dealing with a drought all summer, we have been thrilled to receive some two inches of rain over the past four or five days! It’s made fieldwork challenging at times, but well worth it for the good, long drink it’s given our thirsty gardens. We are still in summer vegetable season, but some changes will be noticeable in today’s shares. The summer squash are beginning to peter out, and the cucumbers have been slow this week (perhaps the cool, damp weather is partially to blame). But eggplant is available in quantity, and our tomatoes continue to produce copiously. Please forgive us if we pat ourselves on the back a bit about our tomatoes: those of you who were with us last summer will appreciate why we are so pleased and proud about their quality and quantity!
Please feel free to drop us a line if you discover a new recipe, have any cooking tips, or would like to share your favorite way to eat the veggies from our harvest - email us and we’ll share with everyone else! You might also want to post these to our inter-active web presence at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spoutwoodcsa. There you can post messages that all members can read, add photos of your favorite Spoutwood memories, and otherwise contribute to our CSA community here at Spoutwood Farm. Enjoy! But first, a few notes on upcoming events...
Special Note: Mother Earth Harvest Fair
It’s not too soon to start thinking about the Mother Earth Harvest Fair, to be held here at Spoutwood on the weekend of September 29th and 30th, from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. The MEHF is a celebration and showcase of “green,” sustainable, and healthy/balanced living in the Chesapeake Bay bioregion. We are looking for shareholders to man (or woman) our CSA booth, perform demonstrations and provide examples of CSA Cookery and Preserving the Harvest, and one particularly gifted individual to become CSA Booth/Country Kitchen “Czar” (coordinator) – see detailed description, below.
Hours worked apply to your CSA hours!
On a related note… Hail to the Czar!
Who is the Czar? It could be you! What is the Czar? It’s the CSA Country Kitchen Czar (also known as CSA Country Kitchen Coordinator) at the Mother Earth Harvest Fair! We are looking for the perfect person to coordinate this vital component of the CSA presence at the MEHF. Our Country Kitchen Czar (or Czarina) will coordinate (with input from Tom or Rob) all aspects of the CSA Booth and Country Kitchen at the Fair.
This includes:
planning and overseeing the CSA informational/educational display, including (we hope) displays of both fresh produce and preserved vegetables
scheduling shareholders to man the booth, hand out CSA brochures, and answer questions
scheduling demonstrations on our two major themes: “Harvest Cookery” and “Preserving the Harvest.”
We are hoping to be able to coordinate with the Weston A. Price Foundation on the cooking and preserving components, contact information will be provided.
If you’ve always wanted to be Czar, or if you have a passion for this wonderful Spoutwood CSA, and the fresh, local, and all-natural veggies we provide, please contact Rob at spoutwood@supernet.com or 717-235-6610, or Tom at tharbold@qis.net or 443-974-8209, at we’ll get you started. Reminder: the Mother Earth Harvest Fair will be held September 29th and 30th, from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Many thanks in advance, and we promise no Bolshevik overthrows will occur!
Tomatoes: Our tomato plants continue to produce abundantly. Rich with flavor and health benefits, tomatoes are one of the true joys of summer. Ours are looking good, having adjusted our management due to last year’s disappointing experience. Plenty to eat fresh or “put up” for later!
Squash: What would summer be without summer squash? Select from zucchini, yellow crookneck, and two types of patty-pan. Delicious! Enjoy them now, as their peak season is drawing to a close.
Swiss Chard: This delicious, attractive, and nutritious large-leafed plant is our green (or as they used to call them, “pot-herb”) for the week. More delicate (and faster-cooking) than kale, use as you would spinach or another green. May be blanched or sautéed lightly and layered with Parmesan, Romano, or Asiago cheese and baked en casserole for a lovely gratin.
Green Peppers: Another classic summer vegetable, these delicious green peppers are entirely our own this week! Two varieties for your enjoyment this week: green bell peppers, and Anaheim peppers (erroneously called “Big Chili”) last week, the latter being a mild chili pepper.
Eggplant: Still another summer vegetable, similarly associated with summer cooking. Ratatouille, eggplant parmesan, and baba ganoush are among the many possible uses for this popular veggie. Select from Italian-style, Oriental (long and thin), and “Beatrice” – an Italian type also, with a pink-violet complection.
Basil: A delicious and fragrant herb – add to pasta sauces, make a fresh tomato, basil, and mozzarella salad (toss in olive oil), or blend your own pesto. Please note: Basil should be placed in a vase with water, as you would cut flowers. Most refrigerators are too cold and tend to blacken the leaves.
Sage: Most commonly used dried, and a traditional flavoring for Thanksgiving turkey, sage is a Mediterranean herb which works especially well with fatty meats such as pork, sausage, goose, and lamb, because it aids in the digestion. Also very good in stuffings, beans, potatoes, risotto, cheeses, and tomato sauces. Complementary flavorings include onion, garlic, thyme, oregano, parsley, bay leaf, and rosemary (from http://homecooking.about.com/cs/herbsspices1/a/sage_2.htm).
Bread: For those with bread shares, our wonderful Atwater bread this week is TBA.
Flowers: This week’s bouquet will include a potpourri of wild and cultivated blossoms.
Quick Pickles:
7 c cucumbers
1c onion
1c green pepper
2c vinegar
1T salt
1T celery seed
Cut veggies thinly.
Combine other ingredients in a separate bowl mixing well.
Pour mixture over veggies.
Refrigerate about 5 days.
California Cucumber Salad
2 cucumbers scrubbed not peeled
½ c raisins
¼ c unsalted dry roasted walnuts
1T fresh dill
½ t minced garlic
2T green onion
1/8 t black pepper
1/4c plain yogurt
Remove seeds, shred and drain cucumbers.
Place in bowl and add other ingredients.
Toss, then serve.
New potato and cucumber salad with fresh herbs
2 1/4 pounds red-skinned potatoes
2 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded, diced
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
6 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
4 teaspoons chopped fresh mint
2 teaspoons minced garlic.
Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 18 minutes. Drain potatoes; cool. Peel potatoes. Cut into 3/4-inch cubes and place in large bowl. Add cucumbers and onion. Whisk all remaining ingredients in small bowl. Add to potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 8 hours ahead; chill.)
Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
2 medium cucumbers, peeled and sliced
2-4 t olive oil
salt
white pepper
½ t lemon juice or vinegar
Toss, then serve.
Farm
Happenings
Who is the Czar? It could be you! What is the Czar? It’s the CSA Country Kitchen Czar (also known as CSA Country Kitchen Coordinator) at the Mother Earth Harvest Fair! We are looking for the perfect person to coordinate this vital component of the CSA presence at the MEHF. Our Country Kitchen Czar (or Czarina) will coordinate (with input from Tom or Rob) all aspects of the CSA Booth and Country Kitchen at the Fair.
This includes:
planning and overseeing the CSA informational/educational display, including (we hope) displays of both fresh produce and preserved vegetables
scheduling shareholders to man the booth, hand out CSA brochures, and answer questions
scheduling demonstrations on our two major themes: “Harvest Cookery” and “Preserving the Harvest.”
We are hoping to be able to coordinate with the Weston A. Price Foundation on the cooking and preserving components, contact information will be provided.
If you’ve always wanted to be Czar, or if you have a passion for this wonderful Spoutwood CSA, and the fresh, local, and all-natural veggies we provide, please contact Rob at spoutwood@supernet.com or 717-235-6610, or Tom at tharbold@qis.net or 443-974-8209, at we’ll get you started. Reminder: the Mother Earth Harvest Fair will be held September 29th and 30th, from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Many thanks in advance!
Cucumbers are thought to have originally been cultivated in India though in appearance the fruit has changed over years and in different habitats. For instance the English and Japanese cucumbers appears much different compared to the cucumbers from our garden at Spoutwood Farm.
Cukes are a great summer “veggie” since they are 96% water therefore low in calories and refreshing.
Cucumbers with their water content tend to be fragile so practically and nutritionally it’s best to eat them sooner than later.
Nutritionally:
Cucumbers score highest in potassium and calcium and Vitamin A.
They have some iron, zinc, and Vitamins C and B6.
Storage:
Store cucumbers in the refridge but remember that cukes can be 20 degrees cooler on the inside than the air on the outside. If the refridge temp is too cool the cucumbers will freeze.
Hail to the Czar!
Who is the Czar? It could be you! What is the Czar? It’s the CSA Country Kitchen Czar (also known as CSA Country Kitchen Coordinator) at the Mother Earth Harvest Fair! We are looking for the perfect person to coordinate this vital component of the CSA presence at the MEHF. Our Country Kitchen Czar (or Czarina) will coordinate (with input from Tom or Rob) all aspects of the CSA Booth and Country Kitchen at the Fair.
This includes:
planning and overseeing the CSA informational/educational display, including (we hope) displays of both fresh produce and preserved vegetables
scheduling shareholders to man the booth, hand out CSA brochures, and answer questions
scheduling demonstrations on our two major themes: “Harvest Cookery” and “Preserving the Harvest.”
We are hoping to be able to coordinate with the Weston A. Price Foundation on the cooking and preserving components, contact information will be provided.
If you’ve always wanted to be Czar, or if you have a passion for this wonderful Spoutwood CSA, and the fresh, local, and all-natural veggies we provide, please contact Rob at spoutwood@supernet.com or 717-235-6610, or Tom at tharbold@qis.net or 443-974-8209, at we’ll get you started. Reminder: the Mother Earth Harvest Fair will be held September 29th and 30th, from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Many thanks in advance!
Cucumber
Cucumbers are truly the fruit of the vine. They are the long green
edible fruit of the cucumber plant. Cucumber fallS into the gourd
family with both squash and melons being their cousins.Cucumbers are thought to have originally been cultivated in India though in appearance the fruit has changed over years and in different habitats. For instance the English and Japanese cucumbers appears much different compared to the cucumbers from our garden at Spoutwood Farm.
Cukes are a great summer “veggie” since they are 96% water therefore low in calories and refreshing.
Cucumbers with their water content tend to be fragile so practically and nutritionally it’s best to eat them sooner than later.
Nutritionally:
Cucumbers score highest in potassium and calcium and Vitamin A.
They have some iron, zinc, and Vitamins C and B6.
Storage:
Store cucumbers in the refridge but remember that cukes can be 20 degrees cooler on the inside than the air on the outside. If the refridge temp is too cool the cucumbers will freeze.
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